Chapter 281: The God Dwells Within

The great sun rises in the east, and the wind and snow scatter completely.

Long Yin Peak is quite lively; as Li Yuan walks slowly forward, he sees that outside Chu Shan Xuan Kong's courtyard, heads are already crowding together—this is a grand banquet.

"This Chu Tangzhu is hosting a grand banquet; it is said over six hundred invitations were sent. Those who don't know might think it's the Grand Ceremony of a Grandmaster!"

On the mountain path, Li Yuan gazes from afar; Wang Wang Peiyao, dressed in a white fox-fur cloak, stands to one side, speaking softly:

"He has not only invited a host of elders, helmsmen, and deputy Tangzhus, but also sent many invitations to newly admitted inner disciples; Yue Chongtian and others are all on the invitation list..."

"Indeed, it is puzzling."

Li Yuan narrows his eyes slightly, says nothing, and merely chats with Wang Wang Peiyao about the lively events in Hengshan City and the Jianghu over the past half-year.

Young Lady Wang has no talent for martial arts; only with Li Yuan's guidance did she break through to Inner Fortification, but she is excellent at dealing with people and gathering intelligence.

In less than a year in Hengshan City, she has already become quite the know-it-all.

"A few days ago, a sister from Long Yin Hall mentioned over a meal that the eldest senior brother is descending the mountain this time to welcome a great figure from Jingcheng."

"A great figure from Jingcheng?"

Li Yuan's heart stirs slightly.

Although the Martial Arts Tournament of the Various Dao Sects is still more than two years away, sects farther away may have already set out, and the number of Jianghu folk coming to join the festivities has increased recently.

However, there are very few who could make Long Long Xinglie welcome someone from thousands of miles away.

"According to that sister, the visitor seems to be the disciple of that Zhenwu Wang..."

"The disciple of Zhenwu Wang?"

Li Yuan's heart trembles: "Yan Yan Chunyang?"

Zhenwu Wang Wan Wan Zhuliu has dominated the Divine List as number one for decades; he is universally recognized as the number one person in the Jianghu, and the Fumo Longshen Dao in his hand is peerless in slaughter.

He holds the titles of Zhenwu Hall Master, Grand Preceptor of the Court, and Shangzhuguo; he is not a Jianghu martial artist. The generals he instructed are countless, but he has only one disciple.

"I heard that Zhenwu Wang has only this one disciple."

Wang Wang Peiyao nods; after all, it was a casual chat after drinking, so she did not dig deeper, and naturally could not speak with certainty—what if Zhenwu Wang took on another disciple?

Those who gather intelligence must not only open their ears and eyes widely but also be accurate.

"This person is very low-key."

Li Yuan thinks for a moment; aside from the name, he has indeed heard very little intelligence about Yan Yan Chunyang.

"Very low-key."

Wang Wang Peiyao nods: "Regarding this person, I only remember one rumor, of unknown truth, saying that when he was born, thousands of temples in the capital shook simultaneously, and the gods blessed him...

Anyway, it is quite exaggerated."

"It is indeed quite exaggerated."

Li Yuan is somewhat absent-minded, his gaze wandering, observing a young man with a stern face and a long sword on his back not far away.

"Shan Hong, this is one of the two True Transmissions of Longmen..."

Wang Wang Peiyao lowers her voice; even Shan Hong, dozens of meters away, looks up, his gaze like lightning, cold and killing like a divine blade drawn from its sheath.

"Senior Brother Shan Hong."

Li Yuan subtly shields Wang Wang Peiyao behind him and bows slightly in greeting.

"Li Yuan?"

Shan Hong glances over, returns no greeting, and walks straight toward Chu Shan Xuan Kong's courtyard.

"There are six True Transmissions within the sect, two from each of the three lineages; I heard Shan Hong intends to become the Lord of Longmen and has visited the Sect Master multiple times before."

Wang Wang Peiyao is somewhat shaken; that glance swept over her, making her vision go black; if Li Yuan had not blocked it, she feared her liver and gallbladder would have been shattered by the terror.

"Mm."

Li Yuan nods; he had heard this news from the Lingyin Lu, but the flicker in his eyes is not due to caring about this.

Rather, in that brief glance, he saw familiar and glaring bloodlight:

【Cold Edge White Bone Sword】

【... Piles of white bones nurture Yin Iron; streams of spiritual blood temper the cold edge; gathered in a place of Yin Sha, forged by a Divine Artisan, containing a Sword Spirit, with hope of becoming a Divine Weapon...】

【Conditions to Command: Bai Shen Fa, Fourth Layer; Bai Shen Fa, Third Layer; Marrow Refining Accomplished】

【Effects of Command: Tier Seven: Sword Heart Penetrates Clarity

Tier Six: White Bone Bodhisattva Fa, Fifth Layer; Divine Sword Art; White Bone Fa】

A quasi-weapon with hope of entering the ranks of Divine Weapons, and moreover, from the Xieshen Sect!

Shan Hong has already gone far, yet Li Yuan seems to still see that long sword with blood mixed with gold, his heart growing slightly Solemn:

"Has a True Transmission of Longhu Temple also been seduced by the Xieshen Sect?"

This thought flashes, and Li Yuan feels it is incorrect.

Longhu Temple and other Dao Sects may have traitors, but they are all either severely injured and near death, or old and about to die.

Shan Hong, as a True Transmission of Longhu Temple, is in the prime of his strength; it is unlikely he would join the Xieshen Sect, and even if he did, he would not possibly carry this sword so brazenly.

On the mountain path, the two stand for a long time; after chatting, Wang Wang Peiyao takes the gold tickets and descends the mountain; she is responsible for collecting beast bones and hides, and recruiting craftsmen to make shoes.

"The Xieshen Sect is truly everywhere."

Li Yuan murmurs to himself; not only immortality and long life, but even the temptation of extending one's lifespan is enormous.

He himself couldn't resist practicing this Mo Gong, let alone those whose lifespans are nearly exhausted; this is the reason the Xieshen Sect cannot be banned despite repeated prohibitions.

He looks at the Dragon Stele beside him; he is currently ranked thirty-first on the Dragon List, while Shan Hong is ranked third, with Marrow Refining accomplished, comparable to Xin Xin Wenhua.

"Without activating the Liehai Xuanwei Hammer, can I defeat him?"

Li Yuan turns the thought over in his mind.

Over the past half-year, he has fought Ghost-Faced People at the Tongmai level on Inverted Mountain every few days; relying on the Lei Long Jun Tian Hammer, he can defeat them swiftly.

And Old Han, when he reached the Great Success of Tongmai, relying on a Divine Armor, could fight Marrow Refining martial artists without defeat.

But he still possessed two Thunder Dragon Jun Tian Hammers.

He reckoned that even if Shan Hong were stronger than Huang Fu Kun, he might not necessarily be his match, even without activating the Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer.

But he quickly dispelled this thought.

Perhaps due to his great advancement in Wu Gong and having a divine weapon in hand, he actually felt somewhat eager to try, which was not good.

"I am a Daoist Priest, not a martial artist; being bold and fighting aggressively is not good... Either deliver a killing blow in one strike, or wait for the opportunity."

Li Yuan thought to himself: "Hmm... if I ambush, should I be able to kill him quickly?"

He had his own principles and bottom line.

As the saying goes, the Immortal Dao values life; the Dao seeks immortality and Daoist Yu Hua ascension. Although he was merely a wild Daoist not registered in the Daoist registry and unacknowledged,

Daoist Priest Li deeply agreed, rejecting all actions that endangered himself.

If one can ambush, then ambush; if one cannot ambush, then wait for the opportunity. This was his bottom line, which must absolutely not be crossed.

"What was that saying again? 'Like a fierce tiger lying in a barren hill, hiding its claws and fangs and enduring'..."

Daoist Priest Li muttered to himself. Seeing it was nearly noon, he briefly counted the various weapons and boots on the Dingxin Dingxin Shitai,

and only then walked leisurely toward the Chu residence.

In broad daylight, within the Great Dragon Gate, he naturally feared not that Chu Shan Xuan Kong would go mad, but being cautious was never a bad thing.

Inside the Chu residence, it was very lively; the scent of wine and meat traveled far.

With the support of several disciples, Chu Shan Xuan Kong greeted everyone one by one. Seeing his hair streaked with gray and his eyes dull, all the guests rose to pay their respects, feeling sighs and emotions in their hearts.

Before entering seclusion, Chu Shan Xuan Kong's face was handsome and well-maintained; at first glance, he appeared like a youth. Now, however, he looked like someone on the verge of death.

"Everyone, please enjoy yourselves!"

After greeting all the guests one by one, Chu Shan Xuan Kong returned to the inner courtyard with the support of his disciples.

"Leave."

Waving his hand to dismiss the several disciples, Chu Shan Xuan Kong straightened his back. Except for his gray hair, where was there even a trace of old age?

He paced into the room, took out the 'Thousand Spirit Saving People Stele' from his sleeve, and exhaled true qi; before his eyes, red light seemed to flash.

The divine statue with a thousand eyes opened its eyes in his heart:

"No."

"Still no?"

Chu Shan Xuan Kong frowned tightly:

"Is Li Li Yuanba's Sea-Splitting Black Whale Hammer truly in the Dragon Tiger Temple?"

As the Deputy Hall Master of the Dragon Chanting Hall, how could he not know the sect's attitude toward those severely injured within the sect and elders nearing the end of their lives?

Holding such a grand banquet was already somewhat risky.

"It is there!"

The answer from within the Thousand Spirit Saving People Stele was the same. Chu Shan Xuan Kong was becoming somewhat impatient; he simply did not want to stay in the mountains, as it was too dangerous for him.

Even if the Dao Master and the various Hall Masters were absent, once discovered, he would surely die without a doubt.

"Search."

The voice transmitted from the stele remained brief.

"Search..."

Chu Shan Xuan Kong took a deep breath, suppressing the annoyance in his heart. His injuries were only barely suppressed; to recover to his peak, he could only rely on this stele.

"Master, Li Yuan has arrived."

At this moment, Gao Wanyong quickly arrived in the courtyard.

"Li Yuan!"

Chu Shan Xuan Kong's gaze turned cold. Immediately, his back slumped, his eyes became dull, he extended his hand for Gao Wanyong to support him, and walked slowly toward the front courtyard.

"Junior Uncle Li, this disciple offers you a toast!"

"Junior Brother Li, has my superior-grade famous blade been assigned to me yet?"

"Junior Brother Li, I have sought you several times without success. After the banquet, we must have a good chat..."

Before Chu Shan Xuan Kong even reached the front courtyard, he heard voices far more enthusiastic than before.

He looked with a wooden face. The front courtyard was crowded with people; a group of guests rose to welcome him. In the crowd, Li Yuan wore a smile and responded with clasped hands.

"If anyone has free time after the banquet, fellow senior brothers may come to my place for a small gathering."

Li Yuan greeted the familiar elders and disciples, paying no mind to whether he was overshadowing the host, but his peripheral vision swept toward Chu Shan Xuan Kong.

Good heavens?!

Li Yuan's eyelid twitched.

A streak of light, red turning black, flashed before his eyes, extremely glaring.

【Thousand Spirit Saving People Stele】

【... Cast from the stone powder of a thousand Thousand Spirit Bodhisattva statues, then tempered by incense smoke. It contains a hundred years of incense smoke, can serve as a temporary vehicle for a god, and can conduct god-worship rituals...】

【There is... a god residing within】??!

Li Yuan's pupils contracted violently. He didn't even have time to see the control conditions and effects of the Saving People Stele before he immediately averted his gaze, his heart racing.

"Inside this stele... a god resides?"

People around were still greeting each other. Li Yuan responded, his heart trembling greatly.

Over these years, he had heard no shortage of legends and deeds regarding the Great Fortune Gods. He had entered many temples, but this was the first time he had seen a 'god'.

"Junior Brother Li?"

Li Yuan looked up; from the rear courtyard corridor emerged Chu Shan Xuan Kong, his old eyes clouded, beckoning with a hand, carrying a deathly silence that chilled his heart:

"If you have no business, how about coming to the rear courtyard for a small drink?"